Dissing the duchess? Bethenny Frankel is doubling down on her criticism of Meghan Markle, claiming she’s “painting herself into a corner” following her royal exit.
“Timing is Everything, don’t believe your own BS & play chess not checkers,” the former Real Housewives of New York City star, 51, captioned a no-holds-barred TikTok video on Tuesday, September 6, urging viewers to listen to her “Just B” podcast for more of her hot takes.
The Skinnygirl CEO went on to share her thoughts on “this Meghan Markle s–tshow,” seemingly referring to the press the Suits alum, 41, has been doing to promote her “Archetypes” podcast. “Maybe I’ll be canceled for saying this … but I just think we have to be able to say something without getting beaten down,” Frankel began in her video. “She is a terrible, terrible businessperson [and] strategist. She’s playing checkers, not chess because she is overplaying her hand, and she is painting herself into a corner, becoming a woman without a country.”
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♬ original sound – Bethenny Frankel
Frankel conceded that the Bench author left a “terrible, terrible situation” when she and Prince Harry stepped down from their senior royal duties in 2020. However, the Bravo star claimed Meghan is “f–king it up” when it comes to life outside of the royal bubble.
“She’s a polarizing person, don’t get it twisted,” Frankel continued, telling fans she was “trolled” when she previously spoke out about the Duchess of Sussex before her March 2021 CBS sit-down interview. “It was brutal, I’m not going to lie. It would have been so easy to just not say anything … and now the tide’s turned [on her]. … It may not be the message, it’s the messenger.”
Last year, the Bethenny alum tweeted, “Cry me a river,” in response to clips released before the bombshell CBS interview aired. “I 100 give Harry a break,” she asserted, referring to Meghan as a “fairly unknown actress” who’s “fetching 7 m for interviews, hundreds of millions in media deals.”
Bethenny Frankel and Meghan Markle Shutterstock (2)
Earlier this month, Frankel continued to share her thoughts on her podcast, comparing the Tig blogger to a reality star. “She’s very much like a Housewife in that she can’t stop talking about the very thing that she wants to be irrelevant,” the New York native teased on the September 1 episode of her podcast. “[It’s like] when you … want to separate from the Housewives. ‘It was toxic, I don’t want to be part of the drama,’ or whatever the housewife says. [But] then … for the next five years, always talking about the very thing you’re trying to extricate yourself from.”
She added: “When you leave the royal family, leave the royal family. You learned something, you said it, we heard you … and [still] in every single interview you do you’re talking about the royal family. Let it go, Elsa. Move forward. Create change in the future.”
The retired actress recently made waves with her candid interview in The Cut, during which she described her life with Harry, 37, in California with kids Archie, 3, and Lili, 15 months. “It was bittersweet, you know?” she told the outlet of returning to the U.K. in June for Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee. “Knowing none of it had to be this way.”
She noted in the August 29 cover story that she didn’t want to participate in the royal family’s “game,” adding that it “was a big adjustment” to follow The Firm’s rules. “I think forgiveness is really important. It takes a lot more energy to not forgive,” Meghan explained. “But it takes a lot of effort to forgive. I’ve really made an active effort, especially knowing that I can say anything. I have a lot to say until I don’t. Do you like that? Sometimes, as they say, the silent part is still part of the song.”